i rarely look forward for a 12 hours flight - but with Japan at the end, i was looking forward to itand i got lucky - not! i spend 12 hours seating behind a screaming / crying kid that i just wanted to kill...LOL i had bad experience in the past but this one was the worst - and no-one of his parents slapped him or gave him a good reason to cry - he may have been sick but he seems to stop straight away when someone was staring at him... little pratt! anyway, made my way to Misawa which was another 6 hours after landing in Tokyo, as it is completely north. but the bullet train (shingansen) make is so easy to travel. John was there waiting for me with his friend John and Eden. it was nice to finally see some familiar faces.i spent the week on Base - finally going to the gym regularly and catching up with John who unfortunately was so tired and stressed out that he took a while to settle back. but i understand his reasons - i know that i wouldnt be able to handle the stress of having my superior shouting at me like i am a retarded / taking wrong decision and having to say nothing about it - every night, John was coming back from work even more stressed out, and there was nothing i could do to help him! how frustrating - i would have certainly hit the b****** long time ago! sorry to talk write like this, but it really infuriated me to see this happen! on top of that, John's car keep playing up which didnt help with the tense situation - so it wasnt an easy week! we went few times to the local slot machine and got lucky one day by winning the jackpot! that will allow me to finance my travel for few more weeks! had lunch few times with John's work colleagues i didnt know, which was strange as i am always on my guard on what i say - John could lose his job straight away if some of his superior found out! i even panicked on the first day, as i realised i still had my ring on my finger when i went to sat down at the table - i quickly took it out so no-one could see that we both had the same ring! i didnt mind though.on friday night, we had diner with some of John's buddies at the Magnum restaurant on Base - which is doing some really good steaks... it proved out to be a very interesting evening as the other 3 were 19 years old! quite embarassing though as they were loud / had no table manners and keep swearing! there was Daniel, a good kid that was good company and good conversation, another guy that seems lost in his own world as he lay in his chair and eat with his fingers, looked like he smoked too much dope, and then the Mexican! only 18, but he could hold the whole conversation to himself, swearing loudly, starting sentences and never finishing them..LOL he was a laugh despite shocking other tables by its rudeness... i hope i wasnt like that when i was 18! i want to apologise if i was! LOL John kept rolling his eyes at all this and it was fun to see.the next day, we joined John and Eden to a day out a local castle to see the cherry blossom,. we drove to ................. and had a really nice day wondering around and taking the day easy. John and Eden are very good company and they are fun to spend a day with. always ready for a laugh, which is what me and John needed.Monday 14th May, as John got a leadership course all week, i decided to give him so space and got away for few days visiting other part of Japan - and made my way south to Kyoto for 3 days - old capital of Japan from 794 to 1868. I really enjoyed Kyoto, despite being a city of 1.5 millions people, there are lots park / temples that makes you feel at ease and doesnt overwhelm you. The Gion area takes you back in time with its typical old architecture and its geisha walking to their next appointment.

Amongs some of the best sites were the famous golden pavilion - covered in golden leaf - which was built in 1397 -  and the amazing rock garden of Ryoan-ji zen temple. thought to have been built in the late 1400s, the garden consist of raked gravel and fifteen moss-covered boulders, which are place so that, when looking at the garden from any angle, only 14 of the boulders are visible at one time. it is said that only through attaining enlightment would one be able to view the fithteenth boulder.

during my visit, one major festival took place which is called the Aoi Matsuri, which dates back to the 7th century, where hundreds of participants wear costumes of the Heian period (794 to 1185) and leave the Kyoto imperial palace for a long procession. it was fascinating to watch!

my next stop was Hiroshima, which is only 1.30 hours away from Kyoto - i would only spend 2 days here going to the Hiroshima Peace museum which is a must on your list to do. With its horific history of being the first city to suffer nuclear bombing on 6th August 1945, where over 130 000 people died, Hiroshima was rebuilt as the City of Peace, which advocate abolition of all nuclear weapons.

The closest building to the location of the bomb's detonation was designated "Atomic dome" as part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park which also include a Children's Peace Monument and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. Walking through, you cant resist the uneasy feeling at what it must have been like at that time and yit certainly makes you reflect a lot on warfare / the rights and wrongs of nuclear / impact on individuals through their own stories... i did felt unease with it all!

i was also surprised on how many school children were on educational field trips in Hiroshima learning about it all and questioning tourists.

it was time for me to head back to see John for the weekend - which would take me a good 10 hours travelling...LOL

the following two weeks would just be easy going with some BBQ party / one year old birthday party / with John's work colleagues... and a weekend away by the Towada Lake which was a typical Japanese experience - with great food and relaxing japanese spa! We were the only westerners in the hotel! LOL